Car roof



C. D. BONSALL CAR ROOF Original Filed 21. 1921 I 2 $neet$$heet lPatented Get. 28, 1924.

UNITED 's'rs PATEN oFFicE.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSiIGNOIR, TO H.MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

can. noon.

Original application filed November 21, 1921, Serial No. 516,600.Divided and this application filed 1 September 22, 1924. Serial No.739,077.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES DAVID BON- SALL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city of Pittsburgh, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsyl- Vania, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Car Roofs, of which the following is aspecification.

The matter hereinafter described and claimed is divided out of mypending application Serial Number 516,600, filed November 21, 1921, forpatent for improvement in car roofs.

This invention relates principally to metal car roofs of the all-steelriveted-up type wherein self-supporting roof sheets extend from sideplate to side plate and are formed along their side margins with lappingportions which are riveted together to form weather proofing joints orseams that function as carlines.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to increase thestrength and rigidity of the roofby improving the sectional shape andarrangement of the lapped portions of adjacent sheets. Another object isto enable the sheets to be pressed from a rectangular blank, therebyeliminating the expense of shearing the blank to special shape. Anotherobject is to devise a box-girder seam whose upper half is formed by astrengthening rib of one sheet and whose lower half is formed by astrengthening rib of an adjacent sheet, thus permitting "the use ofstrengthening ribs'so' shallow that they may be pressed in the sheetswith relatively light power and small risk of rupturing the metal.Another object is to locate. the boxgirder seams partly above and partlybelow the plane of the body of the sheets, thereby obtaining a moreuniform distribution of the metal in the roof and increasing thestrength of the roof and reducing by onehalf the height of the seamsabove the sheets. Another object is to secure effective ventilation ofthe car through the box joints.

Another object is to utilize the box-joint as a drain channel fordraining ofiwater that may enter said joints, thereby permitting the useof fewer rivets and extreme care in driving the same. Another object isto reduce the weight of the roof, to simplify the construction thereofand to cheapen the cost of manufacture.

The invention consists principally in the construction hereinafterdescribed; and it also consists in the combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings,which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols referto'like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the endlportion of a car roof embodying myinvention, parts being shown broken away to more clearly illustrate theinvention; V

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through one half of the roof onthe line 22inFig.1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section along the ridge line of the roof on theline 33 in Fig. 1; a L

Fig. 4 is a detail cross-sectionthrough one of the seams, the sectionbeing taken between the ridge and theeaves-on the line MinFigl;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through oneof the seams at the side plate, thesectionbeing taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section through the ridge line of one of the roofsheets;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a. car roof ain'- bodying amodified form seanconsrtruction;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged transversesection through one half of said roof onthe line 8-8 in Fig. 7

Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are enlarged vertical cross-sections through one ofthe seams of the roof shown in Fig. 7, the sections being taken on thelines 99, 10-10, and 11-'11, respectively, in Fig. 7;

Fig. 12 is a cross-section through one of the roof sheets for the roofshown in Fig. 7 the section being taken adjacent to the ridge line ofsaid sheet; and

Fig. 13 is a crosssection throughthe eaves portion of the roof shown inFig. 7, the section being taken through one of the seams on the line13-13 in Fig. 7

The roof shown in sheet 1 of the accompanying drawlngs comprisestransversely arranged load-sustaining r001": sheets 15, which extendfrom eaves to eaves of the car. The root sheets are supported at theireaves ends on the outwardly projecting uppermost flanges of theangle-bar side plates 16; and the eaves ends of said sheets are providedwith down-turned eaves flanges 17 which overhang the outer edges of thetop: flanges of said side plates.

The root sheets have hollow strengthening ribs 18 and 19 formed thereinadjacent to their respective side margins, the rib 18 at one side marginof a sheet being pressed upwardly and the rib 19 at the opposite sidemargin of said sheet being pressed downwardly. This pressing of the ribs18 and 19 in opposite directions with respect to the body of the sheetforms reverse strengthening ribs, one opening upwardly and the otheropening downwardly.

The sheets are assembled by lapping their side marginal portions; thatis, the downwardly opening rib 18 at one side margin of a sheet isplaced over the upwardly opening rib 19 at the other side margin of anad jacent sheet; and the lapped portions ot the sheets are securedtogether on opposite sides of the reverse ribs 1-8 and 19 by rows ofrivets 20, whereby said reverse ribs cooperate to form box-girder seamsor joints 21, which constitute carlines. The rows of rivets on the oneside of a box-girder joint 21 extend through the overlapping side margin22 of one sheet and the adjacent underlying body portion of the othersheet; and the row of rivets on the opposite side of said joint eX- tendthrough the overhanging body portion of said first mentioned sheet andthe underlying side margin 23 of said second mentioned sheet.

The ribs 18 and 19 are preferably of channel section and graduallydecrease in. height and depth, respectively, "from the ridge towards theeaves where they merge into the plane of the body of the sheets. The upwardly opening ribs or i-hannels l9 merge into the body of the sheet atthe inner tat-es of the side plates. The downwardly open- .ing ribs orchannels 18 merge into the body of the sheet at the point where theeaves ends of the sheets are turned down to form the depending eavesflanges 17.

The sheets are pressed from blanks of uniform width and, therefore, thegradual decreased height or" the channels 18 and 19 from the ridgetoward the eaves results in a corresponding increase in the width of thesheets towards the eaves. Thissurplus metal is utilized in securing auniform widel- 'ng of the channels 18 and 19 from the ridge towards theeaves with the result that the flanges 22 and 23 at the side margins ofthe sheets are of uniform width from eaves to eaves thereof.

By reason of the sheets being pressed from a rectangular blank, thedecreased height of the ribs 18 and 19 from the ridge towards the eavesenables the width of said ribs to be increased from the ridge towardsthe eaves. This arrangement increases the sheet lap as well as the seamlap and produces a box-girder seam construction o'l high and narrowsection at the ridge, that is well adapted to withstand the verticalroof loads, and of broad flat section at the eaves that functions as agusset to withstand the horizontal stresses.

Running boards 24; are arranged lengthwise of the car at the ridge andare securely bolted to the uppermost lateral flange ot Z-shaped runningboard saddles 25, whose lowermost lateral flanges rest on the rootsheets and are secured thereto by the rivets that secure the overlappingside marginal flange 22 of one sheet to the underlying body portion ofan adjacent sheet.

End sheets 26 are provided for each end of the car. The outer sidemarginal poi tions of theend sheets are supported on the uppermostflanges of angle-bar end plates 27 and are formed with depending flangeswhich overhang the outer margins of supporting flanges of said endplates. The end sheets are made in rights and l-efts; that is, one ofsaid end sheets is provided at its in nor side margin with an upwardlyopening channel 19 and the other of said sheets provided at its innerside margin with a downwardly opening channel 18.

In the modification shown in Sheet 2 of the drawings, the sheets 15 areprovided adjacent to one side margin with an up w-ardly open channel 19which merges into the plane of the sheet near the inner face of the sideplat-es, and are provided adjacent to the other side margin with adownwardly open channel 18*, which is turned down at 18 over the cavesof the car and is open at its bottom. Thus, when the downwardly openingrib of one sheet is secured to the upwardly open rib of an adjacentsheeL they form a bm -girder seam 21 wl'lose ends are open.

The flanges 23 located outside o l? the upwardly opening channels 1 9have depressed portions 23 adapted to cooperate with the body portionsof adjacent sheets to form openings 28 in the box-girders 21 formed bythe lapped ribs 18 and 19*. These openin gs 28 establish communicationbetween the interior of the car and the interior of the boxgirders 21thereby permitting said box-girders to function as passageways or lineswhich serve to ventilate the car. These lines or passageways serve alsoas drain channels for carrying off any water that may enter the jointsof the box-girders, thus eliminating the necessity for a tight joint andreducing the number of rivets re quired for securing the lapped ribs 18and 19* Without affecting the water proofing qualities of the roof.

The invention is not restricted to the precise shapes and arrangementsof parts shown in the drawings.

What I claim is:

1. A car roof comprising side plates a plurality of pitched metal roofsheets extending from side plate to side plate and having their sidemargins overlapped horizontally at the level of the body portions, saidroof sheets having reverse hollow ribs formed in their overlappedportions that are rigidly secured together to form hollow girders.

2. A car roof comprising side plates a plurality of pitched metal roofsheets extending from side plate to side plate with their side marginslapping each other and rigidly secured together along two lines at thelevel of the body portions of the sheets,

the portions of the lower sheet between said lines being formed intoaflat-bottomed channel, and the portion of the upper sheet between saidlines being formed into a flattopped inverted channel.

3. A car roof comprising a plurality of metal roof sheets extending fromeaves to eaves and having their side margins overlapped, said roofsheets having reverse hollow ribs formed in their overlapped portions.that are rigidly secured together to form hollow girders.

4. A car roof comprising a plurality of metal roof sheets extending fromeaves to eaves and having their side margins overlapped horizontally atthe level of the body portions of the sheets, said roof sheets havingreverse hollow flat-topped ribs formed in their overlapped portions thatcooperate to form box girder seams, and means for rigidly securingtogether the lapped margins of the roof sheets on opposite sides f aidseams.

5. A car rooi comprising a plurality of metal roof sheets extending fromeaves to eaves and having their side margins over lapped and rigidlysecured together, said roof sheets having reverse hollow strengtheningribs formed in their overlapped margins which increase in width anddecrease in depth from the ridge towards the eaves and are rigidlysecured together to form hollow girders of increasing width anddecreasing depth from the ridge towards the eaves, the lowermost ribs ofa girder merging into the body of the sheet adjacent to the eaves andthe uppermost rib of said girder being open at the eaves, whereby saidgirder constitutes a drain channel for carrying 0E water that enterssaid girder through the joints between the lapped margins of said roof;

sheet.

6. A car roof comprising a plurality of metal roof sheets extending fromside plateto side plate with their side margins overlapped and rigidlysecured together flush with the body portions of said sheets, the lappedmargins being shaped to form 1101- low girders whose top and bottomwalls are disposed above and below the plane of the body of the sheets.

7. A car roof comprising a plurality of metal roof sheets extending fromside plate to side plate with their side margins overlapped and rigidlysecured together, the

lapped margins being shaped to form box-' posed above and below theplane of the body of the sheets, said girders having openings thereinlocated below the body of the sheets.

and adapted to establish communication between the interior of the carand theatmosphere through said girder.

9. In a metal car roof, a plurality of roof sheets extending from sideto side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacentsheet and parallel ribs in each sheet extending from opposite sides ofthe sheet, means for securing the overlapped portions of the sheetstogether with the opposite extending ribs one above the other inregister, and means for securing the ends of the sheets to sideplates'of the car, said registering ribs forming an air passage fromside to side of the car and means provided in said ribs forming acommunication between said air passage and the interior of the car.

10. In a metal car roof, a plurality of rooi; sheets extending from sideto side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacentsheet and parallel ribs in}.

each sheet extending from opposite sides of the sheet, the ribs on theupper side of the overlap extending upward and the ribs on the undersideextending downward, the ribs .on the underside provided with aperturesopening into the interior of the car. Signed at St. Louis, Missouri,this 19th day of September, 1924.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL.

